Your Turn to Scream
by BK Love-ah
Summary: My version of "Scream". Lauren is a normal girl, or so she thinks. When a psycho wearing a Ghostface mask starts killing people she knows, her life will turn REALLY sour REALLY fast! Rated for gore and language.
1. First Scream

_**Chapter 1-First Scream**_

Sue Garrett was feeling pretty good. Her parents were out at dinner, and they weren't supposed to be back until very late. She was going to watch a movie with her friend Lisa tonight. She was hoping that Lisa wouldn't be late tonight, however, because she had track practice. Sue was reaching into the cabinet to grab a bag of potato chips when the phone rang. She walked over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello." It was a strange male voice, one that Sue had never heard before. It sounded like an older man, so Sue assumed that it was someone calling for one of her parents.

"Who is this, please?"

"Is this Sue?"

"Yes," she said, with a hint of nervousness in her voice. She was pretty sure that she didn't know this guy. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I've seen you around before, and I know a lot about you. I watch you, Sue. I watch you all the time."

"Oh, really?" Sue asked. "Listen, you perv, I think you'd better stop-"

"You don't believe me? I know that you're going to watch the movie "Mean Girls" tonight. It really suits you, Sue. You're a mean girl." Sue looked confused.

"Look, I don't even know what you're talking about. Besides, how the hell did you even know that I was gonna watch that movie?

"I can see the case on your coffee table. I've got a great view from your window." Sue froze. Her heart started to pound violently in her chest. She spoke, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Okay, creeper, you've had your fun. Go harass somebody else." With that, Sue hung up the phone. She walked over to the window and looked out. She didn't see anything; it was so dark outside, and it was raining heavily. This only made her more afraid. She was about to dial her mom's cell phone number when the phone rang again in her hand. She answered it, knowing all too well who it was. "Listen, you jerk-"

"No, _**you**_ listen, you _**bitch**_! If you hang up the phone _**one more time**_, I'll hang you from the gutter by your _**jugular vein**_! _**Got it**_?" Terrified, Sue sunk to the floor. She heard the man chuckle evilly.

"Please,** just leave me alone**!" Sue said, tears falling from her eyes. The man on the phone chuckled again.

"But the fun's just beginning!" With that, a brick came flying through the window, shattering it. Sue screamed and ran into the kitchen. She grabbed a carving knife, ran to the front door, and looked out the peephole. When she didn't see anything, she opened the door very slowly. As she inched out the door, she turned to look back into the house. She suddenly saw a dark figure with a black hooded robe climb through the broken window. Sue immediately closed the door. She was about to run for the road, but she decided to run to the garage to look for her father's revolver. She had her hand on the knob of the garage's side door when she felt a hand grab her arm and turn her around. When she found herself facing her assailant, her eyes widened in pure terror.

She was staring into the black eyeholes of a ghost mask. The mask was bone white, and its mouth was wide open, as if it was screaming. The person wearing the mask had a knife raised right above Sue. She let out a piercing scream as the knife plunged into her chest. She was immediately silenced by the excruciating pain. She mustered up her strength and punched her attacker in the face, sending him to the ground. Sue ran toward the road as fast as she could, but the phantom was on her in a second. He tackled her to the ground, flipped her on her back, and leaned above her, the now-bloody knife raised above Sue's throat. She was struggling to breathe, the front of her shirt covered in her blood. The rain drops were landing on her face, mixing with her salty tears. With a very weak hand, she reached up and pulled the ghost mask away, looking at her attacker's face. She looked shocked for a moment, and then confused. In a barely audible voice, Sue tried to speak.

"W-w-why? I don't und-"She never finished that sentence. With one swift slash of the wrist, the phantom slit Sue's throat.

Lisa pulled into Sue's driveway with great speed. Knowing that Sue would be on her for being so late, she turned off the car engine and immediately got out. She shut the door, turned toward the house, and froze. There, on the front doorstep, was Sue. Her throat was slit, and she had been gutted. At the sight of her dead best friend, Lisa let out a blood-curdling scream.


	2. Lauren

_**Chapter 2-Lauren**_

Lauren Dean took a deep breath. _Well, here we go. Another day in high school Hell_, she thought to herself. The only things she really liked about school were the drama club, and seeing her friends. She loved her friends.

Her best friend was Emily White. She also had a few good friends, Jake Baker, Natalie Carlson, and Tim Rogers. Lauren had a very special friendship with Nick Parker, as well. Nick was the first guy she ever loved. However, when it turned out that he loved her back, she realized that she didn't want to risk their friendship on something that probably wouldn't have worked out. When she talked it out with him, he agreed. Lauren was very happy that they were closer that ever, and that Nick seemed to have taken a liking to Natalie. She was also happy that she now had a great boyfriend whom she loved a lot: Zach Finnegan. She met him in drama club, and they instantly clicked. It took him two weeks to get the courage to ask Lauren out, but in the end, it paid off. They were like two peas in a pod, and Lauren's life was perfect. Until today.

When Lauren got to school, she stopped in her tracks. There were police cars and news vans all over the place. She immediately ran over to where Nick and Emily were standing, which was by the big oak tree in front of the school.

"Hey, you guys. What the heck's going on?" Emily turned to Lauren.

"Ooh, Lauren, you didn't hear? Sue Garrett was murdered last night." Lauren gasped. She had once known Sue very well. In fact, they were best friends up until the sixth grade. That was when Sue left Lauren for the "popular" kids. That really hurt Lauren, but Nick and Emily had helped her to move on. Lauren and Sue weren't on good terms, but Lauren certainly didn't want her dead.

"Murdered? Who would do that?"

"Nobody knows yet," Nick said. "The police are questioning everyone." Just then, Jake and Tim walked over.

"Lauren, I hope the police won't suspect **you**," Tim said. Lauren glanced at him.

"Why would they do that?"

"Now come on, Tim," Nick said seriously. "We know what happened with Lauren and Sue, but we also know that Lauren is no murderer."

"Yes, but do the _police_ know that?" asked Jake.

"Knock it off, Jake," said a female voice from behind Jake. He turned around to see that it was Natalie. "Why do you always have to jack people up?" Nick started clapping in approval of Natalie.

"Amen to that." Just then, the school bell rang. "Well, we'd better get to class. Natalie, I'll walk you and Lauren to English," said Nick. Natalie smiled at him.

"Thanks, what a gentleman," she said, with a pinch of friendly sarcasm in her voice. While Jake, Emily, and Tim walked away, Natalie, Nick, and Lauren walked into the school. Lauren tried to smile with her friends, but deep inside, her turmoil fussed.


	3. Looking Back

_**Chapter 3-Looking Back...**_

_Come on, concentrate_,Lauren thought to herself. She was normally a whiz in trigonometry, but she could not solve a single one of the problems. For the past four hours, the day had been slowly dragging on. Usually, the halls were buzzing and people were chattering. Today, everyone was silent. It was almost like a tomb. Lauren hadn't been able to stop thinking about Sue ever since she found out about the murder. She had been thinking about the time when she and Sue were inseparable...

** "Tag, you're it!" ten-year-old Sue yelled, as she touched Lauren's shoulder. Lauren laughed as she started to chase Sue around her back yard. After several minutes or running, Lauren was finally able to tackle Sue to the ground. They both rolled down the small hill, and landed at the bottom in a laughing heap. Several hours later, they were sitting in the summer grass, watching the sun set. Sue turned to Lauren and said, "Lauren, you're my best friend. Am I yours?" Lauren looked at her and smiled.**

** "Absolutely. Forever and ever."**

** "Promise?"**

** "Promise." They both gave each other a loving smile, and put their arms around each other. As the breeze blew through Sue's red curls and Lauren's brunette ringlets, the setting sun reflected off of both colors, creating a vibrant color that a thousand rainbows couldn't compare to... **

_Some promise_. _She was gone within three years_, Lauren thought. _God, she hurt me so freaking bad. If it wasn't for Emily and Nick, I don't know what would've happened. _Lauren cursed herself on the inside. _I'm such a bad person. Why am I thinking about the bad things that she did? I should be upset, shouldn't I? She is dead, after all. I feel so guilty! It's all my-_

"Lauren? Did you hear me?" Lauren looked up. Her teacher, Mr. Walker, was looking at her, as was the rest of the class.

"No, sir. I'm sorry. I was thinking of...something else." _If this keeps up, I think I'll go insane._

After school, Lauren, Emily, Nick, Natalie, Jake, and Tim were hanging out under the large oak tree. Lauren was in a daze, while Tim was going on about Sue's murder.

"It's nuts!" he said. "My mom watched the news last night, and she said that one of Sue's girlfriends found her on the front porch with blood all over-"

"Tim, knock it off!" Nick shouted. Tim jumped, and immediately shut up. "You ragging on this is the last thing that Lauren needs right now." Lauren looked away and smiled to herself. Ever since they met, and even when they had decided not to date, Nick had always been, and still was, very protective of her. She thought it was cute.

"Lauren!" Lauren looked up, and saw her boyfriend Zach running toward her. She gave him a weak smile as he threw his arms around her. "You okay? I heard what happened. How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Were you questioned by the police yet?" he asked. "They're going after anybody that even looks weird."

"No, not yet." Just then, Jake spoke up.

"They're asking everyone the same exact questions: 'Did you know Sue? How well? Did she wrong you in any way?' Lauren, you'd better **pray** that they look past you. If you ask me, you'd be the prime suspect!" Nick immediately jumped into action.

"Jake, will you **knock** it **off**? You know, the way you're going on about this, people might think that **you** killed Sue." Zach gave Nick a weird look. He then leaned in close to Lauren's ear and whispered to her.

"Lauren, he's _**so**_ not over you." Lauren rolled her eyes as Zach spoke out loud. "Nick, how do we know that _**you**_ didn't kill her? She has made fun of your being a know-it-all on **several** occasions." Nick glared at him.

"That's the stupidest reason for killing someone that I've _ever_ heard! But you know, dare we mention the current _**boyfriend**_-"

"Okay, **enough**!" Lauren shouted. "Let's stop blaming each other. For all we know, Sue probably offended someone else in the school. But I think that we can all agree that none of us did it." Everyone muttered in agreement. "Now, let's talk about something else besides this. Maybe we should see a movie or something!"

"How about that new Hillary Swank movie?" Natalie asked.

"Sounds great," Nick said. "I'll treat for everyone."

"Okay", Jake said. "Who wants to play 'Guitar Hero' at my house until the movie starts?" Everyone shouted affirmatively.

"Let's all hope that Nick's guitar skills have actually _improved_ since last time," Tim said as Nick shot him a look. As they all walked toward the road, Lauren tried her best to hide the fact that she knew that the killer was still out there.

_**Reviews please!**_

**BTW, thanks to my first reviewer Zarcane! I'm glad you like it so far, and thanks for the constructive criticism. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and let me know how you like it! =)=)**


	4. Second Scream and Accusations

_**Chapter 4-Second Scream**_

Rick Sully sat on an old sofa at the town dump with his friends. He was drunk, as usual. Back in middle school, he had taken a dare to drink five vodka shots to get into the "Bingo Boys". _Boy, am I glad. I finally got popular_, he thought. Then, one of his buds leaned toward him, holding a plastic cup.

"Rick! Here, dude." Rick took the cup and, seeing that it was just more beer, drank the contents. Another guy then spoke up.

"Hey, wanna have some fun?" The guys chuckled in approval. "Rick, try and run as fast as you can down to the train tracks, and then come back." Rick squinted his eyes.

"What? You nuts?" Even as he said this, he got up and started running toward the dump exit, staggering the whole way. When he was gone, all of his friends started laughing. One guy addressed the one who handed Rick the beer.

"Dude, what'd you put in it?

"Whiskey, vodka, and some wine," he said, adding a chuckle. They all burst out laughing and gasping.

"Damn, what a freakin' loser!" one guy said, and they broke into laughter again.

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Rick was still running toward the train tracks, panting as he did so. _Whew, I'm almost there_, he thought to himself. However, when he was about six yards from the tracks, he collapsed to the ground, wheezing. _What the hell? Why can't I think?_ He tried to get up, but he was incredibly dizzy. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow approaching him. As it got closer, Rick could make out a figure clad completely in black, except for a white phantom mask, its mouth wide open, as if screaming horribly.

"What the-who the fuck are you?" He screamed at the figure. It was at this point that the killer reached into its robe and pulled out a knife. Rick's eyes widened.

"Oh, _**shit**_!" The killer lunged at Rick, who just barely managed to dodge the blade. He immediately stood up and stumbled toward the train tracks. Suddenly, the killer tackled him from behind. From underneath his attacker, Rick tried to wrestle the knife away. _Oh, fuck! My head's spinning!_ Then, Rick heard the whistle of an approaching train. While he was looking toward the tracks, the killer took this opportunity to lift the knife up and plunge the blade into Rick's chest. Rick let out a strangled scream as the train got closer. The attacker got up and began dragging a bleeding Rick toward the tracks. The train had seen them, and was trying to stop. When they reached the tracks, the killer laid Rick on top of them and leaned forward into Rick's face. Rick stared into the cold black eyes of the ghost mask, and he heard a mechanical male voice speak from behind the mask.

"So, tell me, Rick. Who're your friends _**now**_?" With that, the killer immediately got up and ran off. Rick let out one final scream as the wheels of the screeching train advanced on him rapidly...

The next morning, Lauren and her friends were walking to school. She was still in a daze, but her friends were chattering away.

"Thanks again for driving me home last night, Nick. I'm sorry I had to leave, but it was just so stupid," Natalie said to Nick. He smiled at her.

"It was nothing. I wanted to leave, too. I had to study for that trig final."

"Wow. You guys are crazy," Emily said, chuckling. "That was a great movie! And Nick, you've really gotta cool it with the studying! You have a 238 average anyway." Jake, Natalie, and Tim started laughing. Nick rolled his eyes.

"Ha-ha-ha, very funny," he said. Meanwhile, Zach had his arm around Lauren's shoulders and was talking to her gently.

"Baby, you've gotta stop blaming yourself about this. It wasn't your fault." Lauren nodded, but her face didn't change. As the friends approached school, they saw that there were more police than yesterday.

"What the hell?" Zach said. As they got to the front yard of the school, they saw several news trucks and reporters. Lauren leaned forward and listened to one female newswoman as she spoke to the camera.

"...the horribly mutilated body of seventeen-year-old Rick Sully was found last night after being run over by a train. The conductor has revealed that the deadly collision occurred late last night at approximately 11:30 p.m. While police have still not released any comments, it is still suspected that the killer is indeed a student. Indeed, it does seem that, with the tragic deaths of Rick Sully added to Sue Garrett, a serial killer is on the loose." Lauren gasped. _Rick? _ Nick, Natalie, and Emily went wide-eyed.

"That doesn't make sense," Tim said. "Sue was understandable because she was a bitch. But Rick? Sure, nobody liked him, but who would _**kill**_ him?"

"Tim, shut up!" Nick said. Tim looked at him quizzically, and Nick motioned in Lauren's direction with his eyes. Then, Jake spoke up.

"Lauren, Rick used to be one of your best friends, too! He did exactly what Sue did! What do you have to say?" While Nick gave him one of his famous death glares, Lauren still looked shocked.

"Are you serious?" She asked. "Sure, he hurt me like Sue did, but that's no reason to kill the guy!" Just then, a police officer came up to the kids. He turned to Lauren and spoke to her.

"Excuse me, Lauren Dean?" She nodded. "I'm Detective Bill Maine. Miss, is it true that you were close friends with both of the victims?"

"Yeah, it is. Why?" Detective Maine eyed her suspiciously.

"Well, several of the questioned students mentioned that you were once very close to Sue and Rick, and that it...ended badly. You do realize that you could be named as a possible suspect, don't you?" Lauren stepped back, shocked. Nick then stepped forward.

"Detective, please! Those things are true, but just listen! I've known Lauren for years, and I know that she would rather jump off a cliff than hurt _**anyone**_, let alone commit murder."

"It's true," said Emily. "Even if she **did** want them dead, don't you think she would have done it years ago?" Nick spoke again.

"Seriously, sir, her relationships with them doesn't make her a murderer." Maine looked amused.

"Wow, he's sure protective of you, Miss Dean. He's your boyfriend?"

"_**No**_. That'd be me." Zach stepped forward and stood next to Lauren. Detective Maine chuckled softly before speaking again.

"Okay. Well, Miss Dean, you're off the hook for now. But we will be watching you." With that, he waked away.

"What an arrogant-"Nick began, but Lauren stopped him.

"It's fine, Nick. He does have a point."

"Well, **you** couldn't have killed Rick," Zach said. "We were at the movies last night." Then, Zach turned toward Nick and Natalie. "Although, _**you two**_ left early." Nick glared at Zach and stepped forward.

"Now listen. I had to study, and Natalie needed a ride! That doesn't mean-"

"Wait! That doesn't prove a thing," Emily said. "The movie ended at 10:30, so we were all home by then." Natalie sighed with relief, while Nick turned back to Zach.

"The defense rests." Zach rolled his eyes, while Lauren stepped in between him and Nick.

"Come on, you two! Can't you at least **try** to get along? Please?" Just then, the bell rang. Lauren and Zach went one way, and everyone else scattered in different directions. Zach wrapped his arm around Lauren again as they were walking.

"Zach, why do you keep doing this? When a single thing goes wrong, you always try to pin it on Nick."

"What're you talking about?" Lauren laughed.

"I think you're jealous." It was Zach's turn to laugh.

"Aha! Yeah, right. It's just-"

"Just what?" Zach sighed before answering.

"I **seriously **doubt that he's over you. The way he defends you..."

"He's just being sweet. Besides, him and Natalie-"

"Yeah, that's another thing! It's like he's trying to distract himself or something." Lauren rolled her eyes. There was a moment of silence before Zach spoke again.

"Lauren?"

"Hm?"

"You're over him, right?" Lauren stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Yes. I mean, I've already got a perfect guy right here." Zach smiled, and so did she. They leaned forward, and they shared a kiss. They resumed walking, stuck in their own world that didn't include murder or jealousy...

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**What do you think? Reviews please! Sorry it took me a while.**

**P.S.- Next chapter, Lauren meets the killer!**


	5. Narrow Escape and Damning Circumstances

_**Chapter 5-Narrow Escape and Unfortunate Circumstances**_

It was unusually windy that night. Lauren was hanging out at Denny's with Emily and Jake. They were chattering about something, but Lauren couldn't hear them. The words of Detective Maine were still ringing in her ears.

"_**You do realize that you could be named as a possible suspect, don't you?"**_

___He does have a point. Even though I didn't do anything, the whole school probably suspects me_, she thought to herself. She was in such a daze that she didn't hear Emily talking to her.

"Lauren, you okay?" Lauren glanced at Emily. "It's time to go. Did you wanna come with me and Jake? We're hanging out at his place for a while."

"No, I think I'll just go home. Mom and Dad are probably worried about me." Emily nodded in agreement.

"Oh, right. They've probably heard about Rick by now," Jake said. Lauren nodded.

"Well, I'll see you guys later."

"Okay," Emily said. "We'll come over a bit later, okay?"

"Okay." Lauren smiled, said good-bye, and walked out the door. Then, she found her car, got in, turned on the engine, and headed toward her home.

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When she pulled into her driveway and walked up to the front door of her house, Lauren found that it was unlocked. _That's weird_, she thought. _Mom always keeps the door locked._ Even so, Lauren walked in. She threw her purse on the dining room table, and made her way to the living room.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" When she finally reached the living room, Lauren froze, her heart skipping a beat. There, on the couch, were the blood-soaked lifeless bodies of her mother and father. Her mother was laying face-up on her back, while her father was lying on his stomach on top of her mother. Even as she stared at her dead parents in horror, Lauren refused to believe it. _No, it's not! It can't be!_ Very slowly, she walked toward the couch that supported her parents' corpses. "Mom? Dad? Please...can you hear me?" When Lauren finally loomed over them, she tentatively reached out and touched her mother's forehead. Feeling her cold flesh and seeing the glazed-over look of horror in the deceased woman's eyes confirmed Lauren's dreaded fear. She sank to her knees and let out a tortured scream.

"_**No!**_" Lauren started sobbing as memories of her mother's hugs and her father's laugh swept through her mind. "Mom! Dad, I'm so sorry!" Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. She turned and saw a black-clad figure standing about five yards away from her, wearing a white ghost mask and wielding a bloody knife. _That knife...__**my parents' blood**__!_

"Why?" Lauren screamed at the figure. "_**Why?**_** They didn't do a **_**thing**_** to you, you **_**fucking bastard!**_" The killer used its gloved hand to wipe the blood from the knife, and then, it started towards Lauren. She leaped back, grabbed a glass vase, and threw it at the killer with all her might. It made direct contact with the killer's head and shattered on impact. This gave Lauren just enough time to run past the killer, grab her cell phone, and run out the front door. Immediately, she ran to a large tree behind her house and climbed a few branches. Then, she dialed 911.

"911 emergency?"

"Please help me! My name's Lauren Dean, I just found my parents dead-"

"Miss, can you please speak slower?"

"Please! I just found my parents dead! The killer's here!"

"Okay, where are you located?"

"I'm at 700 Sunrise Avenue! Please hurry!"

"We'll have people over there in two minutes. Do you want me to stay on the line?" Lauren was about to answer affirmatively when she saw the killer approach the tree she was in, knife in hand. She gave the killer the most loathing look she could.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I've run the cat up the tree," the figure said. _That voice sounds weird_, Lauren thought. _It must be a voice-changer._ Lauren finally spoke, trying not to sound terrified, even though she was.

"What do you want, you bastard?" The killer chuckled evilly.

"Just you, Lauren. Why don't you come down from there so we can talk?"

"**Fuck you**!" screamed Lauren. Then, she felt something sharp hit her hand, knocking her phone to the ground below. She felt another one hit her shoulder, and then her forehead. _He's throwing stones at me!_ Suddenly, the killer started climbing the branches toward Lauren. She struggled to get down, but the killer reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her close. Lauren struggled furiously as the killer took out his knife. "No! Let me _**go**_!" Tightening his grip, the killer started carving into her arm. Lauren screamed as her warm blood trickled down her wrist. Then, the killer withdrew the knife and shoved Lauren hard, knocking her to the cold ground. Sobbing, she struggled to get up. Before she could, she felt the killer tackle her to the ground from behind.

"Until next time, baby," she heard him say in her ear. With that, he got up and ran into the woods. Lauren immediately got up, picked up her phone, and ran to the front of her house. She collapsed on her front porch and started sobbing. _Why? Why is this happening? Why my parents? My mother-_ She was dragged out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed and turned around to see Zach. He was looking at her with a shocked look on his face.

"Lauren! I heard you screaming, what's going on?" Lauren immediately threw her arms around him and started sobbing.

"Oh, Zach! Mom and Dad are dead! The killer was here! He's after **me**!"

"Shhh. It's okay now. He's gone." He pulled back to look at her face. He froze when he saw her wrist. "Baby, what the hell happened to your arm?" Zach took off his coat, and when he started to wrap it around her wrist a white ghost mask fell out of it. When Lauren saw it, her heart almost stopped. By now, the sirens were getting closer. Wide-eyed, she looked up at Zach, slowly backing away from him. He looked confused.

"What is it?" He looked down and saw what "it" was. He looked back at Lauren and hesitantly took a step toward her. "Lauren? Baby?" She was slowly shaking her head and backing away.

"Oh, my God."

"Just listen, I can explain. A friend gave it to me as a joke!"

"Stay the hell away from me!" Just then, the police pulled into the driveway. Officers piled out of the cars and ran into the house, while others took positions in the yard. Lauren started running from Zach, who went after her.

"Lauren, wait! It's not what it-"He was cut off when he was forced to the ground by three officers. Lauren looked on as another car pulled into the driveway. Emily and Jake left the car, followed by Natalie. They immediately ran over to her.

"Lauren," Natalie asked, "I called Nick and Tim. They're on their way. What happened?" She got her answer by seeing the look in Lauren's eyes. They glanced over at Zach, who was now handcuffed and being taken to a squad car. He looked at Lauren, using his eyes to plead with her. She looked away, as the police car pulled out of the driveway, leaving Lauren and the others alone with the horror of what was happening.


	6. Dead End

_**Chapter 6-Dead End**_

Lauren was in shock. She couldn't believe the events of the night, even as she sat in the waiting room of the town police station. While Emily, Jake, and Natalie were being questioned by the police, Lauren was deep in thought. _Why is this happening? What did I do? Who's doing this?_ She was still deep in thought when Tim and Nick ran into the room, followed by Mrs. Parker, Nick's mother. Tim sat down next to her, while Nick kneeled in front of her.

"Lauren, babe, what the hell happened?" Tim asked, very concerned.

"Are you okay?" Nick questioned. Lauren looked down, and she felt Mrs. Parker's arm around her.

"Lauren, honey, I can't say how sorry I am about your parents," she said. "Margaret and I were great friends. They loved you so much. You know that, right?" Lauren nodded sadly.

"If there's _anything_ any of us can do," Nick said, "we're here. Okay?" Lauren smiled sadly at him.

"Thanks." Nick smiled at her kindly, yet sadly. Just then, Natalie, Emily, and Jake came out of the interrogation room. Following them was Detective Maine. He sat in the seat opposite Lauren and gazed at her without emotion.

"Miss Dean, my condolences for your losses." Lauren nodded. "So, we questioned your boyfriend, and he still maintains his innocence. Now, you said that the killer disappeared, and then five minutes later, Zach appeared. If you asked me, that's more than enough time for him to run into the woods, rip off the costume, and run back to you." Lauren winced, while Mrs. Parker spoke up.

"Listen, officer, I know that boy's parents. I watched him grow up, and I'm telling you, he wouldn't walk on grass for fear of hurting it."

"Ma'am, past evidence is nothing compared to **solid** evidence." Just then, Nick spoke up.

"Sir, I don't think he could do such a thing." While Lauren looked on, the others chimed in.

"Me neither."

"Or me."

"Nothin, doin'."

"Nope."

"Innocent as one can get." As she heard her friends proclaim Zach's innocence, she felt conflicted. _I don't know. He _**could've** _gotten to me within five minutes. I just don't know._

"Well, even so, we're holding the boy for the night," said Detective Dean. "You can all go now."

"Here's what I say," Mrs. Parker stated. "Why don't you all come with Nick and I and you guys can have a slumber party. Boys upstairs, girls downstairs." Nick smiled.

"That's a great idea!"

"Yeah!" Emily chimed in. "It's just what you need, Lauren," she said, putting an arm around Lauren's shoulders. "Nothing to heal heartbreak than the company of your friends." Lauren smiled as they all got up and left the office.

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At Nick's house, they had just gotten done watching School of Rock. As the boys went upstairs, the girls settled in the living room. Lauren lay on the couch, staring up.

"So, you really think Zach did it?" Lauren turned, and saw Natalie looking at her.

"I really don't know. I can't think of any possible motives that he might have, but...I just don't know." Emily crawled over and sat by her friend.

"Of course you don't know, Lauren. None of us know." Lauren looked back up at the ceiling. Then, she heard the phone ring. She hears Mrs. Parker answer it, so she turned back to the girls.

"I know. This has just been wracking my brain." The girls nodded in understanding as Mrs. Parker walked in, holding the phone.

"Lauren, it's for you. I don't know who it is." Lauren got up, walked over, took the phone, and spoke into the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hello, _Lauren_. It's me again!" Lauren gasped in horror.

"No..._no._ _No, __**no**_!" she screamed. She immediately started sobbing as the girls ran over to her, while Mrs. Parker went to the staircase to call the boys. Lauren's face contorted in pure torture as the killer continued taunting her without mercy.

"What a heartless girl you are. Throwing poor Zachy to the wolves like that. I can only imagine how your parents felt. I did them a favor, freeing them from you."

"_**Stop**_! Leave me alone, please! Who are you?"

"You'll see." With one last evil chuckle, the killer hung up. Jake and Tim ran downstairs in time to see Lauren collapse on the floor. Jake immediately bent down and scooped her up. He carried her over to the couch, where everyone gathered around her. Stumbling down the stairs, Nick entered the room.

"Sorry, I was on the toilet. What happened?

"The killer called Lauren. That must mean Zach's innocent," Natalie said. Nick looked shocked.

"So that must mean...that bastard's still out there." Emily nodded. Nick squinted his eyes and looked down.

"_Shit_." They all gathered around Lauren. In the middle of the dining room, the group of friends formed a group hug.

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**Please read and review. I hope you like it!**

**What do you think will happen with Lauren and Zach **_**now**_**?**


	7. Heart on Her Arm and Third Scream

_**Chapter 7- The Heart on her Arm and the Third Scream**_

The next day, Lauren was in the cafeteria with her friends, picking at her food. The only one missing was Zach. Lauren turned to Jake.

"Jake, you haven't seen Zach today, have you?"

"Nope."

"I saw him," Nick said. Lauren turned toward him. "I talked to him, and he said he was looking for you." Lauren looked down in shame.

"Oh. I'll talk to him later. He's probably pissed with me."

"I doubt it. He said he was worried about you."

"Hm. I'll be back. I'm going to the restroom." With that, she left the cafeteria. She went to the bathroom and wet her face with cold water. After she took a deep breath, she walked out, only to walk straight into Zach. They both shouted in surprise.

"Zach!"

"Lauren, hey." They both stepped back and sighed awkwardly.

"So, I've wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry about last night." Zach gazed at her for a moment before answering.

"It really doesn't matter."

"No, it does," Lauren said. "I was too quick to accuse you of something that you didn't do." Zach shook his head.

"Lauren, it's _**fine**_. I mean, I don't blame you for suspecting me. Apparently, I came from the direction that the killer went in."

"But it's **not** fine! You trusted me, but-"Lauren was cut off as Zach leaned in and kissed her.

"I **still** trust you, baby. With my life." Lauren let him embrace her as she started to cry.

"Zach, I'm so sorry! I just don't know who to trust right now!" Zach tightened his arms around her.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay. You really shouldn't trust anyone right now." Lauren leaned up and looked at him.

"I trust you, Zach. I trust the others, too. And you know what? They didn't think you were guilty, so I'm sure they trust you." Zach looked shocked and confused.

"Not even Parker? I was sure he would think I did it." Lauren shook her head.

"Nope. He was very quick to defend you. So was everyone else. And right now, so am I." Zach leaned in, and their lips met a second time. Hand in hand, they walked back to the cafeteria.

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When Zach and Lauren reached the cafeteria, they sat down with the others.

"Hey, Zach," Jake said, "good to see ya!" Zach smiled. "So, did you hear what happened last night?"

"What?"

"The killer called Lauren," Nick stated, "so it couldn't have been you." Zach turned to Lauren.

"He called you again? Are you okay?"

"It's really nothing," Lauren said. "He was just taunting me." Even though she tried to maintain her composure, she couldn't help but look down. As Zach put his arm around her, his eyes fell on Lauren's bandaged arm.

"Oh, Lauren, is your arm okay?" Lauren looked at her arm.

"I think so. The doctor said that I was lucky to not have any nerve damage or anything. I need to go back to the hospital to get the bandage taken off tonight."

"Do you need someone there?" Emily asked.

"I'll go with you, Lauren," said Natalie. Lauren smiled at her.

"Thanks." A few minutes later, the bell rang. Zach gave Lauren a quick kiss.

"Bye, babe. I need to go ask the teacher a question." With that, he left. Lauren remained at the table, while most of her other friends exited the cafeteria. Only Nick remained behind. He sat down next to Lauren as the room emptied around them.

"Um, Lauren?" She looked at him. "There's something I've wanted to say." Lauren turned toward him, giving him her full attention. "You see, it's not like I can dictate who you can and can't go out with, but the reason I've been kind of aggressive with Zach is because I wanted to make sure he was going to treat you well." Lauren nodded knowingly. "But, seeing him with you, I've realized that...he _**really**_ loves you, Lauren. And he treats you so well, probably better than I could have." Lauren gave him a sad look.

"So, you're saying that you're okay with us now?" Smiling kindly, Nick nodded.

"Yes. And I also want you to know that I'm okay, too. I asked Natalie out yesterday, and she said yes." Lauren broke into a smile.

"Nick, that's _**fantastic**_! She likes you a lot!" Nick nodded.

"Yeah." They stared at each other for a minute. "Well, I guess we'd better get going." Lauren nodded.

"Yeah." She got up, but then Nick spoke again.

"Um, Lauren?" She turned around.

"Yeah?" Nick walked toward her so that they were about a foot apart.

"I'm so glad that we were able to work things out." Then, he reached forward and pulled Lauren into a long hug, and she immediately hugged him back.

"Me, too."

"You're _so_ strong, Lauren. I _**know**_ you'll get through this." Lauren pulled back and looked into Nick's eyes.

"Thank you." Then, they started down the hallway to their next class.

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Later on that night, Natalie had driven Lauren down to the hospital. A doctor was opening the bandage while Natalie looked on. Detective Maine was also present.

"This is odd," the doctor said. Everyone glanced up.

"What?" asked Lauren.

"Look at the wound. It has a peculiar shape." Everyone looked at Lauren's arm. The red scar had left the shape of a slightly jagged heart.

"A heart?" asked Natalie. The doctor nodded. Detective Maine eyed Lauren with suspicion.

"Hm. Wouldn't that signify that the assailant has some sort of romantic attachment to her?" Lauren looked at him with worry in her eyes. The doctor shook her head.

"I doubt it. Even though they're rare, I have seen a few other heart-shaped stab wounds. Based on evidence, the shape of the scar mainly depends on how much the victim struggles. Since Lauren reported that she struggled quite a bit, a scar like this could be expected." Maine's eyes widened and he pointed a finger at Lauren.

"Oh, and that reminds me, young lady! I think it's strange that the knife _just_ missed every single one of the major arteries and veins in your arm. Are you _sure_ that you've got an airtight alibi?" Lauren glared at him. _That is strange. If the killer wants me dead, why didn't he just kill me then? He could have killed me so easily!_ She was broken out of her trance by the doctor.

"Well, the wound's not infected. You should try to rest this arm as much as you can, though. You're all set." As Lauren and Natalie walked out of the room, Detective Maine gave Lauren one last look of suspicion. _Why does he suspect me?_ Lauren thought.

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A few minutes later, Natalie and Lauren were in the hospital parking lot. Natalie tossed the keys to Lauren.

"Here, you can start up the car. I just need to call my mom real quick."

"Okay."

"Listen, just until I'm all set, you should lock the doors." Lauren nodded as she got into the passenger seat. Then, she pressed the "lock" button, leaned over, and turned on the car. Natalie was right in front of the car, talking on her cell phone. Lauren leaned back in her seat. Suddenly, about eight yards away from Natalie, she saw a dark figure move from in between two cars. The figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing itself to be the killer. Lauren's eyes widened in horror as the killer started walking towards Natalie. Lauren reached toward the door handle, only to remember that it was locked.

"**Natalie! Behind you!**" she screamed, but Natalie couldn't hear her. Lauren reached her hand to the steering wheel and honked the horn. This caused Natalie to jump in surprise. She looked toward Lauren, confused. Lauren desperately pointed her finger behind Natalie toward the now rapidly approaching killer. Before Natalie realized what Lauren was trying to tell her, the killer trapped her in a one-armed headlock. Lauren could only look on in terror as the killer stabbed her friend repeatedly in the chest. Even through the car, Natalie's blood-curdling scream could be heard. As the killer dropped Natalie's corpse to the ground, it looked up at Lauren. She could only stare into the dead eyes of the white ghost mask. The killer grabbed Natalie's legs and started dragging her toward the car. Lauren screamed as she grabbed the keys and hit the panic button. The car automatically started beeping as Lauren bent over and put her head in between her legs. What seemed to be ages later, Lauren heard a rapid knocking on her window, and she looked up, seeing that it was Detective Maine. She immediately unlocked the doors and jumped out of the car.

"Detective! When did you get here?"

"I heard your panic button. When I came over to see, I saw some goon wiping something on your windshield. Was that the guy?"

"Yes, that was him. Or her." For the first time, Maine looked at her with sympathy.

"I'm sorry about your friend." Lauren's eyes widened, and she ran around the car. She stopped when she saw Natalie's lifeless body in front of her. She bent over and put her hand on Natalie's forehead, looking into her eyes that were wide open in terror. Lauren then remembered something that Maine said: _...some goon wiping something on your windshield._ Lauren got up and looked at the windshield. There was something written in Natalie's blood: _**IT'S ALMOST TIME.**_


	8. Resurected Suspicions and Final Straw

_**Chapter 8-Resurected Suspicions and the Final Straw**_

Once again, Lauren was at the police station. She was sitting in a chair, resting her head in her hands. _"Almost time"? For what?_ Just then, she heard the waiting room door open.

"Lauren!" She looked up to see Zack walking towards her. Before he could get too close, Lauren had gotten up and backed away from him. "What is it?" She said nothing. Detective Maine walked into the room.

"Hello there, son. It's good that you're here; you saved us the trouble of coming to get you."

"What're you talking about?"

"I'm talkin' about the fact that you carved a heart into this girl's arm!" Zach looked confused and horrified. He glanced at Lauren. She had an emotionless look on her face.

"Lauren, what does he mean?" She raised her arm, showing him the scar. "I didn't do it!" He stepped towards her, only for her to back up once more.

"Zach, no. I'm not accusing you or anything. I...just...need to be by myself for a while." Zach looked at her, looking tired and sad. He then turned around and left.

"Hey! Get back here!" shouted Maine. Lauren put her hand up.

"No, let him go," she said. Then, Jake and Emily walked in. They immediately ran to Lauren. Emily spoke first.

"Oh, Lauren. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," Jake said, sadly. "We all loved Nat." Lauren nodded before speaking.

"I should probably call Nick." Jake put his hand up.

"I already did."

"How is he?"

"He's inconsolable," Emily said. "I went over to see him, but Mrs. Parker said that he'd locked himself in his room." Lauren nodded sadly.

"I'll go to see him tomorrow. Poor guy. They were supposed to have their first date tomorrow."

"What's your plan?" asked Emily. "Do you need a place to stay? We're staying at Nick's place again, since out folks are out of town. Come along?"

"Thanks, guys, but Ana's coming to get me. When she heard what happened, she called from L.A. and said she was on a plane here." At that moment, Ana Dean, Lauren's older sister, walked through the door. Lauren gasped. "Ana!" They ran to each other and embraced. After a few minutes, Ana spoke.

"I was on the next flight the second I heard about Mom and Dad. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."

"It's fine."

"Are you okay? The news said that you were badly cut." Lauren showed her the scar. "Let me take you to a hotel, okay?"

"Yeah." Lauren turned to Emily and Jake."

"You guys be careful, okay?" They both nodded.

"You be careful, too, Lauren," Jake said. Lauren gave them each a hug, and then turned to Ana. The sisters held hands as they left the station.

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About an hour later, Emily and Jake were sitting in the dining room at the Parker house. Mrs. Parker walked in with a bowl of macaroni and cheese. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Jake broke the silence.

"Has Nick left his room yet?" Mrs. Parker shook her head.

"No, not since he heard about Natalie." Emily spoke next.

"Should we go up and-"She stopped speaking as everyone looked toward the dining room doorway. Nick was standing there, looking very worn and puffy-eyed.

"Hey," Emily said, smiling at Nick sweetly, yet sadly. After a few silent moments, he answered.

"Hey." He sat down at the table and remained still. Mrs. Parker softly rubbed her son's arm.

"Nick, you need to eat something."

"Why? It's like the world's crashing down. Everyone's leaving."

"Nick," Jake started, "not everybody's gone. We're still here. So is Lauren." Nick smiled sadly. Then, a cell phone went off. Everyone checked their phones, and it turned out to be Nick's. He answered it.

"Hello?" On the other line, a male distorted voice spoke.

"Hello, _Nicholas_."

"You..._**You**__! _Who is this?"

"Do you still want to save your precious _Lauren_?" Nick froze, as the others looked on in shock.

"If you lay one god-damned _**finger**_ on her-"

"Then you'd better come to the Laser Tag place. Feel free to bring friends, but they'd better not be wearing police outfits." The line went dead.

"Nick," Mrs. Parker said, "what is it?"

"He's got Lauren at the Laser Tag arena. I'm going down there." He immediately got up and left the room. Jake and Emily looked at each other, and immediately got up and followed him. Mrs. Parker was not far behind them. Nick had gotten his coat and was reaching for the car keys. Emily went up to him.

"If you're going, then Jake and I are going with you!"

"No! It's too dangerous." Jake spoke up next.

"Oh, and it's not just as dangerous for you?"

"I know tae kwon do, remember?"

"Nick, tae kwon do or not, we're going with you! Lauren's just as important to us as she is to you." Nick stared at them for a long time.

"Alright." He walked over to his mother, who was shaking her head, silently begging him not to go. "Mom, listen to me. I couldn't protect Natalie. If I can't protect Lauren, I won't be able to go on. I'll be fine." He gave her a hug, and then he walked out the door, followed closely by Jake and Emily.

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"_**Do**_ you think Zach did it?" Ana asked Lauren, as they sat on their hotel beds in their suite.

"I really don't know," Lauren said. "I mean, he was there. It could've been him. And, I mean, the _scar_..."

"But didn't you say that the killer called you while Zach was still in jail?"

"That's true!" Lauren sat up on the bed. Then, her face fell. "Although, he could've used his one phone call." She threw her arms up in the air. "Ugh! I don't know!" She burst out crying. Ana ran over to her and hugged her. As they sat there for a moment, Lauren heard her phone ring. She answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello, Lauren." Lauren gasped. Ana looked at Lauren, shocked. Lauren, looking at Ana, pointed to her cell phone and mouthed, "It's him." Lauren spoke into the phone. "What the _**hell**_ do you want?"

"Just you. Still feeling bad about poor **Natalie**? Hah! I'll bet you **wanted** her dead, Lauren. She was **such** a _**bitch**_!"

"You **fucker**! _**You're dead**_!" She started walking for the door, but the killer spoke again.

"Ah-ah-_ah_! You'd better not be thinking of drawing attention to yourself. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your _friends_, would you?" Lauren heard the mixed shouts of Jake, Emily, and Nick on the other line.

"Lauren!"

"Lauren, stay away!"

"Don't come-" Lauren heard the sound of someone being hit, and then she heard Jake cry out. She spoke into her phone.

"No! Don't hurt them! Please-"

"Then go some place where we can be alone." Lauren opened the door. Ana went to follow her, but Lauren motioned for her to stay. When she closed the door behind her, the killer spoke.

"It must be **torture** for you, Lauren. I mean, for anyone to even _know_ you is a _death sentence_ for them!" Lauren grimaced and spoke in a whisper.

"_**Fuck you**_."

"These three don't have to die, Lauren. I don't have any use for them. I just want you. Don't you want to set them free? It's a simple game: you come, they live. You stay away, and they _**die**_!" Lauren heard another tussle. She heard Nick cry out in pain, and she heard Emily whimper.

"Where?" The killer chuckled.

"That's a good girl. Come to the Laser Tag place. And you'd better be alone. _**Or else**_." He chuckled one more time before the line went dead. Lauren looked anguished. _Oh, shit! What'll I do?_ She opened her door back up and went inside. Ana looked alarmed.

"What did he want?" Lauren went up to her sister.

"Ana, listen to me. I want you to stay here, and don't tell anyone. I'm going to get this shit." Ana shook her head.

"Lauren, it's too danger-"

"I'll be fine, Ana! But this has gone far enough. I need to end this." She gave Ana a long hug, grabbed the car keys, and walked out the door. When she got in the car, she paused. _I need to go back to my house. There's something there that I can use._

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Lauren pulled up to the Laser Tag arena and got out of the car. Before she could take a step, she heard her phone go off. When she looked at it, it said "Restricted Number." She answered it.

"What?"

"Huh. Looks like you've been here before," said the killer. "Come on in."

"No way. How can I be sure that they're still alive?"

"Look through the window and see for yourself." Lauren walked over to the wide window and saw figures gagged and tied to wooden chairs at different parts of the large arcade. She ran over to the door to find it unlocked. After she went in, Lauren closed her phone and started to walk over to her friends. However, before she could get far, she jumped back as a large figure dropped down in front of her. Lauren took one look at the figure and let out an agonizing scream.

There, hanging by his neck in front of her, was the lifeless body of Nick. He had blood stains all over his plaid T-shirt, and his eyes were wide open in a permanent look of horror. His throat had also been slashed. Lauren hesitantly put a trembling hand to his face, only to draw it back at the intense coolness of the corpse. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No...no. Nick, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" _No, please not you. You were the sweetest, most innocent person I've _ever _known! You didn't deserve this! Oh, God. Why you?_ She started crying. But then, she heard muffled cries. She remembered Jake and Emily, and she went over to each one, pulling off their gags. Emily immediately started to speak in between sobs.

"Lauren, I'm so sorry! He got out of his ropes and ran at the killer. We tried to tell him to stop-"

"Emily," Lauren said, "don't blame yourself. You couldn't have done anything." Lauren then turned to Jake. "Jake, where's the killer?"

"I don't know. After dragging Nick out, he just dis-" Suddenly, his eyes widened as he stared past Lauren's head. "Lauren! _**He's right there**_!" Lauren turned around to see the killer emerge from behind the prize counter. He was holding a blood-stained knife in his hand. Slowly, Lauren rose to her feet and looked the killer right into the dark black holes of the ghost mask. She lifted a hand and pointed a finger at Nick's corpse, still hanging in the doorway.

"You have taken one step too far. I was originally going to turn you in to the police. But for _**this**_," she emphasized, pointing toward Nick, "For _**this**_, I'll kill you. You're going to die tonight." The killer cocked his masked head at Lauren.

"I'm not sure about that," the killer spoke, in a distorted mechanical voice. "You might change your mind when you hear what I've got to say." Lauren nodded, amused.

"Right." Suddenly, in a speed-of-light move, she pulled her father's 6-bullet pistol out of her coat. Aiming at the killer, she fired. However, the killer was too quick for her. He raised his knife and charged. This moment caused a startled Lauren to drop the gun. She instantly turned around and ran to the entrance of the Laser Tag chamber. Before she ran in, she heard the screams of her friends.

"Lauren, _**run**_!"


	9. Revelations

_**Chapter 9- Revelation**_

Lauren immediately reached the entrance to the Laser Tag chamber. She quickly glanced behind her and saw the killer slowly walking toward her, holding his knife. Lauren opened the door to the chamber and ran inside. _Damn it! I forgot that it was pitch-dark in here!_ Still, she immediately ran up the nearest ramp. At that moment, the stereo turned on, and the chamber blasted with loud music. There was a dark, haunting, and evil ring to it. And yet, it also sounded a bit sad. Just listening to it made Lauren lose her energy for a few moments. Exhausted, she leaned against the wall. She thought of Sue, Rick, her parents, Natalie, Nick. _I swear to God I will avenge you all. Even if I die, that evil bastard will die with me._

She was pulled out of her trance when she saw the killer. His mask was glowing an eerie green, due to the neon lights in the chamber. Lauren screamed and ran. The killer immediately advanced on her. Lauren tripped and rolled down another ramp. She felt a strong arm grab her wrist and roll her onto her back. The killer straddled her with his legs and held the knife tightly against her throat. Then, he used his free hand to gently stroke Lauren's face, causing her to shudder. Instantly, she rammed her fist into the ghost mask as hard as she could. The killer fell backwards with a snarl of pain. Lauren took this opportunity to leap up and run toward the exit. After she ran through the door, she looked to her left. She saw the entry to the room where people would have their birthday parties. Suddenly, she heard a muffled groan coming from in the room. Taking a deep breath, Lauren walked into the room. Immediately, she gasped.

"Zach?"

Zach was leaning against one of the rectangular party tables that had been set against the wall. He was duck-taped to the table, with a strip of tape covering his mouth. Lauren immediately ran forward and ripped off the tape.

"Zach! Oh my God, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, gasping for breath. "I was leaving the station when everything went black. When I woke up, I was here. Where are we?"

"We're at the Laser Tag place. The killer kidnapped Em, Jake, and Nick."

"Oh my God, are they okay?" Lauren paused at the memory and spoke.

"Nick is dead." Zach looked shocked and then sympathetic.

"I'm sorry." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Listen, Lauren, we need to get out of here. Can you get this tape off?"

"Yeah, but what about the killer? He's still here!" Zach looked confused.

"**Where** is he?" Before Lauren could answer, a familiar voice was heard from the doorway.

"I'm right _here_." The killer was standing casually in the doorway, knife in hand. Lauren turned and gasped. Instantly, she turned back to Zach and started tugging at the tape. The killer spoke again. "Oh, look at this. Come to think of it, you two are so cute together. You'd look even more adorable covered in each other's **blood**." Lauren ignored him. "You know, I _**really**_ wouldn't let him go if I were you, Lauren. He's a suspect, remember? How do you know that he isn't tricking you?" Hearing this, Lauren paused momentarily and looked at the killer, and then back to Zach.

"Lauren!" said Zach. "He's lying! You know me! You know I wouldn't do this!" Lauren resumed working on the tape. The killer spoke again.

"Now, now, Lauren. One person couldn't have done all of this. There always needs to be two killers. I mean, come on." Then, Lauren heard him turn off his voice chamber. The next voice that she heard coming from behind the mask almost caused her heart to stop. The painfully recognizable voice began to speak. "I did try to warn you about him, _remember_?" Lauren froze. She slowly turned her head towards the killer. She spoke in a trembling voice.

"_**No.**_" The killer reached a gloved hand towards his head and slowly pulled off his ghost mask.


	10. Tragic Motives and Lauren's Feelings

_**Chapter 10-Tragic Motives and Lauren's Feelings**_

Lauren's face turned snow-white as the killer pulled off his mask, revealing Nick. He looked at Lauren with his piercing hazel eyes. They were not filled with their usual warmth and kindness. Instead, they were filled with murder. Zach stared at Nick with an incredulous look on his face. After stuttering for a few seconds, he was able to talk.

"Wh-what the _**hell**_?" Lauren continued to stare at Nick, shaking her head.

"It-it can't be! You were dead! This is impossible!" Nick smiled evilly.

"Anything's possible, Lauren," he said. "With a bit of wax, some fake hair, and fake blood, any idiot can make a mannequin in a heartbeat." Lauren closed her eyes. "I'm actually surprised you fell for that." Suddenly, the door behind Nick opened. A man walked in at a steady pace. It was Detective Maine. Seeing him, Lauren spoke to him urgently.

"Detective! Here he is!" She pointed at Nick. "He's the killer!" Maine looked at Lauren casually.

"I know that, Miss Dean. Do you think I'm stupid?" Hearing this, Lauren leaned backwards against Zach as the truth sunk in.

"That's right," Nick said, smiling. "Billy here has been involved with planning robberies and selling drugs for seven years now. Naturally, he was more than willing to help me out. He got me an airtight alibi; he made this mannequin at the crime lab. He even stood in for me to fool Emily and Jake so that I could make a quick exit." Maine walked up behind Nick.

"Alright, kid. Now that I've helped you out, it's time for my money." Nick nodded his head and silently laughed to himself.

"Of course, of course. You're right, Detective." After all that had transpired, Lauren didn't have to see Nick finger his knife with his right hand to know what was going to happen next. Before she could say anything, Nick turned around, swiftly swung his right arm, and slit Detective Maine's throat. He tried to cry out in pain, but all that came out was a gurgled groan. Lauren screamed and turned around, while Zach grimaced. Maine slumped to the ground behind Nick, and after a few moments, he was silent. Looking at his bloody knife, Nick turned back to Lauren and Zach. "I've been practicing that move for a while. Pretty neat, huh?" Lauren, who was facing Nick again, took one step forward, a look of fury and disgust on her face. She knew that Maine was a bad person and had done bad things, but she also knew that he didn't deserve to die such a horrible death.

"You _coward_! You lousy _**shit**_!" Smiling, Nick pointed at Lauren with his knife.

"Ah-ah! Watch your language, Lauren. It's not very lady-like." Lauren scoffed painfully and turned around to resume her freeing of Zach. "I _**really**_ wouldn't be doing that, Lauren! Like I said before, it takes more than a corrupt cop to pull all this off."

"Shut up, you fucking bastard!" Zach shouted at Nick. Lauren paused momentarily as she heard what Nick had said. Seeing this, Zach spoke to her. "Lauren, look into my eyes. You know me. I would _never_ do _**anything**_ to hurt you." Looking into Zach's eyes, Lauren pondered his words. She thought back to when they first met in the drama club, their first date, and their first kiss. She remembered when they made an igloo last winter, and how they snuggled close together to keep warm. As she looked deep into the chocolate brown voids of his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. Zach smiled at her gently, making her forget about all that was happening. They were so lost in each other's eyes that they didn't see Nick kneel over Maine's body and take his cop gun. Lauren and Zach were yanked out of their world of peace and perfection by the sound of the gun being cocked. Lauren was still gazing at Zach when she heard Nick speak.

"Never turn your back to _**me**_." Lauren turned to Nick and saw him aiming the gun in their direction. Before she could say anything, he pulled the trigger. Lauren squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain. But she felt nothing. However, what she heard next was worse that the pain of a bullet could ever be. She heard Zach cry out in pain. Lauren turned to face him, and screamed when she saw the rapidly-growing blood stain on his shirt. He had been shot in the chest. Lauren immediately went up to him and put her hand over his wound. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she spoke to him gently.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered. Zach gently lifted his head to look at his sobbing girlfriend. He smiled at her weakly before speaking.

"I have to...tell you something," he said, in a broken whisper. "Lauren, I...I love...you...so much." Lauren's breath caught in her throat. They had gone out for a while, but he had never told her that he loved her before. She smiled back at him.

"Oh, Zach. I love you, too. I love you." She leaned up and kissed him. He returned the kiss with as much strength as he could muster. Lauren pulled back and looked at Zach. He smiled at her one final time, and then, his head dropped back down and his eyes closed slowly. Lauren heard his final breath leave him, and even though he was already gone, she continued speaking to him. "Please don't go. Don't leave. I love you so much. _**No**_." She started crying again, and she pressed herself against her dead boyfriend. After a few moments, she turned around slowly to face Nick. Still crying a little bit, Lauren looked at him with fury and slowly shook her head. Nick took a few steps towards her, causing her to back up. They were facing each other, one person on either side of where Zach's corpse was still taped to the table. Nick spoke to Lauren in a feigned scolding voice.

"You've got **major** issues, Lauren. Can't trust _anybody_, can you? I mean, Zacky-boy was completely guilt-free. Not to mention being perfect in every way. He **definitely** would've won the approval of your parents, _**if you had any parents**_."

"Oh, _**fuck you**_!" Nick raised the gun again, causing Lauren to back up.

"I told you to watch the lip. When did you pick this up?"

"Shut up!" Lauren was crying again, not about Zach anymore, but about Nick. She had loved him so much, even before she loved Zach. Nick had been her friend for so long. He had helped her through hard times, he made her laugh, and he brought her such joy. She still couldn't believe that, after all they had been through, he was enough of a monster to do all of this. "_Why_, Nick? _**Why**_? My parents, Natalie, Sue, Rick. **Why did you kill them**? _**Why did you do all of this**_?" After Lauren said this, Nick lowered the gun, turned on the safety, and put it in the pocket of his robe. Lauren was surprised to see his face soften. She saw the insane look leave his eyes. It was replaced by the same gentle look that she had always seen in him. Lauren was completely unprepared for what he said next.

"Because I'm in love with you."

Back in the arcade, Jake and Emily were still struggling to free themselves. So far, they weren't having any luck. Emily growled in frustration.

"Dammit! Lauren might need out help! Jake, can't you get loose at all?"

"No. The rope's too tight." Then, they heard the entrance door open. Jake turned his head and saw Tim coming into the arcade. "Tim!" Tim glanced in their direction.

"You guys!" He went forward, but was startled when he saw Nick's "body" hanging in front of him. "Nick! Oh, shit!" He remembered Emily and Jake, and walked over to them. "Oh, God. What happened?"

"Lauren's somewhere in the chamber," Emily said. "The killer's after her. We need to help her! Can you get us free?" Tim immediately knelt over and untied his two friends.

"But look, this place is huge!" Jake said. "She could be anywhere!"

"We should split up," said Tim. "Jake, you turn on the lights of the laser tag chamber and check in there. Emily, you go into the party room. I'll check the back tech room." They immediately set off to their destinations. Tim glanced down and saw Lauren's discarded pistol. He picked it up and headed to the tech room.

The anguished look of fury on Lauren's face melted away. It was replaced by a look of shock and confusion. When she said nothing, Nick continued speaking.

"Lauren, don't you see? I did all of this for you. For **us**." Lauren still said nothing. "Don't try to deny that you were completely crushed and heartbroken when Sue left. I was there, and I saw. And Rick did that, too! I couldn't stand seeing you that miserable, Lauren. And I know that a small part of you wanted them dead." Lauren shook her head. "Come on. I _know_ you did. I wouldn't blame you." Lauren looked at him, still shaking her head. Nick ignored this and spoke again. "You kept saying that we were better off as friends, but that wasn't true. You knew that we were perfect for each other, Lauren. You just didn't act on it because people kept telling you not to. Like your parents! I know that they tried to tell you that I was wrong for you, and I don't blame you for listening to them. And Jake told me that Natalie was talking you out of it, too. That _really_ pissed me off. She was trying to drive you away so she could make a move on me. But I got rid of that little slut. I chose _**you**_. Do you realize that those people tried to keep us apart? It makes me sick just to **think** about it. But they're gone now. **Everyone** that ever objected to us is _**gone**_, Lauren. We can finally be **together**!"

He started walking towards her. She backed up rapidly, looking for any means of escape. She eyed the door behind Nick. Even though she knew that she probably wasn't quick enough, Lauren bolted for the door. Before she could get to it, Nick reached out and grabbed both of her arms. She struggled violently.

"No! Don't touch me!" Still holding onto her arms, Nick pushed Lauren against the wall, not gently but not with too much force. He grabbed her wrists and held them against the wall to stop her struggling.

"We can do this, Lauren. By the time anyone gets here, we'll be gone. I made fake passports for each of us, and I've saved up enough money for two plane tickets. We can go to Italy and change our names. We'll get married, I'll get a good job, and we can live perfectly, just the two of us! Nobody else!" Lauren looked at Nick, who now had the eyes of a madman. He slowly released Lauren's wrists, took her hand, and knelt before her. "Lauren, say you'll come with me. Say you'll be my wife." Lauren gazed at him, her face completely void of emotion. Nick looked up at her, smiling gleefully. It was several moments before Lauren spoke.

"You are out of your mind." Nick's smile slowly faded as Lauren continued. "Sue and Rick made their choices. They both seemed to be happy with their lives, and I didn't bear them any grudges. My parents loved me so much, and they didn't want to see me make a wrong decision. And what Natalie did was an everyday case of female hormones. None of them deserved to die, not by a long shot. Nick, what you did is the most selfish and evil thing that a human could do. And I would rather die in the worst kind of agony than live the rest of my life with you." By this time, Nick had risen back to his feet. He looked at Lauren, anger visible on his face.

"If you won't come with me, then you will die. Aren't you afraid to die, Lauren?" If Lauren was afraid, she didn't show it.

"Go ahead and kill me. You'll never get away with it." Nick laughed.

"Oh, yes I will. I'll go to Italy myself, and nobody will ever find me." As he said this, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife. He spoke to Lauren with malice, angry tears running down his face. "You're going to wish you had listened to me. You're going to pay for making that choice, Lauren." He looked away for a moment, shaking his head. Lauren was wearing a small metal cross around her neck. She reached up and yanked at the necklace. The chain broke, and the necklace fell into Lauren's hand. She held it in her fist as Nick turned back to her. "I fucking killed for you! I did so much to show you that I loved you!" His voice was rising to a scream. "I gave up all I could have been for you! _**For **__**you**_!" Disgusted, Lauren started screaming at Nick.

"Oh, shut your god-damn mouth and stop being so pathetic!" Nick backed up a

"Stop it!"

"You did all of this because you wanted to! Because you chose to! You don't have anybody to blame but yourself!"

"**SHUT UP**!"

"For once in your life, just take some fucking responsibility for your actions and stop making stupid excuses!" That was it.

"_**Fuck you**_!" He stormed toward Lauren, lifting the knife.

"_**FUCK YOU**_!" She swung her necklace at his face. The cross slit a cut just above Nick's right eye. He stumbled backwards, howling in pain as he put his hand over his eye. Lauren ran forward and kicked him in the groin as hard as she could, earning another cry of pain. "You piece of **SHIT**!" She turned around and ran out the door. She ran down a small hallway and came to a door labeled "Tech Room". She opened it and went inside. She turned on the light, revealing a huge room with several levers, switches, and ropes. She saw an exit door on the far side of the room. When she got there, Lauren found it to be locked. "Fuck!" She froze as she heard the other door open. She saw a stack of wire coils and knelt behind it. As Lauren heard the door close and the sound of it being locked, she held her breath. Lauren was filled with rage as she heard Nick speak.

"I know you're in here, Lauren. I will find you." He immediately started looking for Lauren.


	11. Violent Showdown and Redemption

_**Chapter 11-Violent Showdown and Redemption**_

When Tim got to the tech room, he found it to be locked. He went back out to the arcade, where he found Emily and Jake waiting.

"The tech room's locked. Did you guys find anything?"

"The laser tag chamber was empty," Jake said.

"I found Zach and that detective in the party room," Emily said, visually disturbed. Tim looked confused.

"Well, where are they?"

"They're both dead," Emily said grimly. Jake and Tim both looked shocked and saddened. Jake suddenly looked alarmed.

"Wait, did you say that the tech room is locked?" Tim was about to answer, but then he got what Jake was saying. The three teenagers ran in the direction of the tech room as fast as they could.

Lauren breathed as quietly as she could. She heard Nick knocking over large objects in his attempt to find her.

"Lauren, I know you can hear me! You might as well just come out! I locked the door!" Lauren looked at the cross necklace in her hand. She saw that the cross pendant had a bit of blood on it from where it had cut Nick. She remembered that this necklace had been a gift from her parents for her confirmation. _Oh, Mom. Dad. I'm so sorry._ Lauren grasped the necklace and said a silent prayer. _God, please take away my fear. Give me strength, so that I can appease the soul of each person who died for nothing at the hands of this evil monster. Help me to face him. Please give me courage. _At that moment, Lauren felt all of her fear melt away. She saw a metal pipe lying near her, and she picked it up. Still crouched, she heard Nick speak again.

"You're pathetic, Lauren. You're weak. You always have been, and you always will be. I definitely see where you got it from: your _**parents**_." Lauren felt a surge of rage from within her, but she kept silent. Nick continued. "You should have heard how childish they sounded that night. 'Oh, please spare our lives. Why are you doing this?'" He laughed mockingly. Lauren was getting angrier with each passing second. "You know, people like your parents, like Sue, like Rick; they just don't deserve to live. 'Survival of the fittest,' remember?" Lauren closed her eyes and remembered that Nick had said that a year earlier when trying to give a good reason of why Lauren should try meat. She held her breath as she saw Nick walk past the place where she was crouched. "Zach was the worst. His phony 'you're-my-reason-for-living' crap was hilarious. I mean, you didn't actually believe him, did you?" Lauren felt her self control melting away. "He didn't love you, Lauren. Not _**nearly**_ as much as I did. He was probably just using you. He was going to get what he wanted, and then-" Nick was startled by the outraged cry of fury that he heard behind him. He turned to see Lauren running at him with a metal pipe. He quickly ducked out of the way and brought the handle of his knife down onto Lauren's back. She fell forward with a cry of pain. Nick picked up Lauren's pipe and threw it behind him. Lauren stumbled back onto her feet and faced Nick. He looked at her, amused. "I'm surprised. That was stupid of you, but certainly gallant." Lauren glared at him. "So, do you want to fight first? Or should I just slit your throat and end your suffering quickly?"

"Just you against just me. No weapons. That means put down the knife and the gun." Nick cocked his head at Lauren, and she spoke again. "You don't need them. After all, you're stronger than I am." Nick smiled and chuckled. He tossed away his knife, took the gun out of his robe pocket, and threw that aside as well. "You know you can't beat me, Lauren. I've got a black belt in tae kwon do, remember?"

"Sure, but I like knowing that I've got a fighting chance." Nick chuckled once more, and suddenly charged at her. Lauren was barely able to duck out of the way. Nick turned back to her and smiled.

"That's just typical of you. Always defending yourself; never fighting back. This is exactly why you couldn't protect your _**precious**_-" Lauren growled in frustration, and lunged at him. She quickly swung her fist and struck Nick in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, but he didn't fall. His lip was bleeding. "Not bad. Let's see if you can do it again." He ran at her again. She swung at him, but he caught her wrist in his left hand. He took this opportunity to punch Lauren in the cheek, knocking her to the ground. "You know, this _is_ more fun. I can just take my time. You can't possibly beat me, anyways. Before you die, you're going to _**beg**_ me to kill you." Lauren tried to get up, but Nick kicked her hard in the stomach. She cried out in pain. Then, they both heard a noise outside of the entrance door. Nick grimaced in anger as he realized that Jake and Emily had gotten free. "_Shit_." Lauren shouted at the door.

"Get out of here!" Before she could say anything else, Nick kicked her again. _Please_, Lauren thought to herself, _I can't loose them too._

"I think I just heard Lauren!" Tim looked alarmed. He banged on the door. "Lauren, what's going on? Can you open the door?" He, Jake, and Emily could only hear feminine cries of pain.

"What's he doing to her?" Emily cried.

"Can't we do something?" Jake was throwing himself against the door, to no avail. Tim suddenly got an idea. He took out Lauren's gun.

"I know! There's another entrance to this room outside. I'll see if I can get in. You two try anything to get in through this door!" With that, he ran back in the direction of the arcade. Jake suddenly looked enlightened.

"I've got an idea. It might slow the killer, at the least. Em, do you have anything sharp?"

"Yes! A nail file!" She took it out and gave it to Jake. He looked around and saw an outlet on a nearby wall. With all his might, he shoved the blade of the nail file into the slit. A zap of electricity caught his hand, and he jumped back in pain. However, his pain was a small price to pay for the successful effect of his action.

As Nick continued kicking Lauren, they both heard Tim's voice calling for Lauren. Nick knew that he would have to finish up if he was going to escape, so he bent over, seized Lauren by the neck, pulled her to her feet, and started to choke her. She tried to scream, but Nick's hands around her throat prevented her from doing so. She struggled to breathe as Nick spoke to her in a menacing voice.

"Say hi to your friends for me, Lauren." Suddenly, they heard a loud zap. All of the lights in the room, and in the entire building, flickered out. Nick stopped choking Lauren but kept his hands around her neck. He heard a noise coming from the supposedly locked back exit. _Oh, fuck_, he thought to himself. _I forgot it locks from the outside._ He dropped Lauren, grabbed her discarded metal pipe, and hid behind a crate next to the door. The door opened, revealing Tim. He was holding Lauren's gun. When he saw Lauren, his eyes widened and he ran over to kneel by her.

"Lauren! Are you alright? Where is he?" Lauren saw Nick advancing on Tim from behind. She tried to warn her friend.

"Behind...you..." Tim turned around just as Nick swung the pipe at his head. It hit the side of Tim's head and he fell over, unconscious. Nick went back over to the door and shut it. He turned back to Lauren, only to find her gone.

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Jake and Emily were running back out to the arcade area, intent on finding Tim. Their path was suddenly illuminated by car lights right outside the entrance. They ran outside, screaming at the passenger for help. The driver's seat opened, revealing Ana. Mrs. Parker came out of the passenger seat.

"Ana! Mrs. Parker! How did you know we were here?"

"I was in the room when the killer called Lauren," Ana said. "Mrs. Parker called me to see where Lauren was, and she wanted to come along with me. What the hell happened?"

"The killer's got Lauren inside the tech room. We're trying to find Tim."

"Where's Nicholas?" asked Mrs. Parker, worried. "Where's my son?" The expression on Emily's face told her all she needed to know. She closed her eyes and let out a tortured cry of grief.

"We're so sorry," Emily said. "He got loose and ran at the killer. But...he couldn't." Mrs. Parker nodded, eyes still closed. "Zach and that Detective Maine are dead, too. We have to get to Lauren before something happens to her!" Ana and Mrs. Parker both nodded. They all ran through the entrance. Emily covered Mrs. Parker's eyes to keep her from seeing her son's "corpse." Ana's shoulder hit the mannequin's leg, and she heard a weird sound. She raised a fist and tapped the leg, causing it to make a sound that you would normally hear if you were knocking on a hard piece of plastic. _This isn't a body! This is_-

"Ana! Come on!" She immediately followed the others to the tech room. Emily pulled her nail file out of the outlet and went up to Jake.

"Can we pick the lock?" Jake shrugged and attempted to do so. As he was working, he heard shouts and sounds of a struggle coming from the door. Mrs. Parker went up to him.

"Let me go in first. Our whole family took tae kwon do. I can probably take him." Jake nodded knowingly. Finally, he heard the click of the door unlocking.

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"Where are you?" Nick was furious. After a few seconds, he turned to find Lauren aiming the gun at him.

"Right here, you dipshit." She pulled the trigger, only for it to not work. Suddenly, she remembered that the safety was on. "Oh, _**shit**_!" Nick lunged at her. She threw the gun at him, but she missed. It landed right next to the entrance door. Nick chased Lauren to the other side of the room. On his way, he reached down and snatched up his knife. He grabbed Lauren's shoulder and bent her over a metal bench. He raised his knife and was about to stab her when she grabbed his wrist with both hands. He applied more pressure, but Lauren wasn't giving up. However, with each passing moment, Lauren was getting a bit weaker. Nick smiled in victory. He was about to overpower her when he heard a familiar voice from a few yards behind him.

"Don't you move!" Lauren looked and saw that it was Mrs. Parker. She was about five yards away, holding the gun and aiming it at Nick. Before she could get closer, Nick pulled Lauren up and turned her back to him. He locked her arms behind her with his left hand, and used his right hand to hold the knife against Lauren's throat. Then he turned to face his assailant. As Mrs. Parker looked into her son's eyes, she almost dropped the gun. It was at that moment that Emily, Jake, and Ana ran into the room. They were shocked. Jake was the first to break the silence, followed by Emily.

"N-Nick?"

"Nick?"

"You," Ana said. "I knew that mannequin was fake!" Mrs. Parker waited several moments before she could speak.

"Nicholas?" She spoke in a whisper. "You did all of this?" Nick looked at his mother, no remorse or shame in his eyes.

"Don't look so shocked, Mom. You know what happened, how I felt about her." He turned to Ana, Jake, Emily, and Tim, who was finally awake and had joined the others. He stared at Nick in shock. Nick spoke. "I wish you weren't here, or I wouldn't have to kill you all. But you've seen too much." He turned to his mother. "All of you." Tim was outraged.

"Nick! Maybe you're evil enough to kill us, but I can't believe that you would kill your own mother." Nick smiled and shook his head.

"Of course not; that would be demonic." He then spoke to Lauren, still held fast. "Remember that plane ticket meant for you? My mom will take that one." He turned back to the others. "But before you guys die, you can watch me kill Lauren." Outraged, Ana stormed forward.

"Don't you **FUCKING** touch my sister, you fucking _**psycho**_!" Jake reached out and pulled her back. Nick pressed the knife harder against Lauren's throat, causing a trickle of blood to flow.

"Don't even think about it!" Nick resumed talking. "I don't know why you're so upset, Ana. You'll be joining her soon." Suddenly, Lauren brought her foot down on Nick's foot. He cried out in pain.

"_**THE HELL SHE WILL**_!" She tried to take the knife, but he tackled her to the ground. The others shouted at him to stop, but he wouldn't. He straddled her, and held the knife above her.

"Good-bye." He raised the knife, and was about to kill her when a gunshot went off. Nick groaned in pain. Lauren saw that Nick had been shot in the stomach. She looked to see who it was. It was Tim. He was standing next to Mrs. Parker, holding the gun that Nick had originally tossed aside. Nick collapsed on top of Lauren, partially pinning her to the ground. Seeing this, Mrs. Parker collapsed to the floor. Emily, Jake, Tim, and Ana huddled around her. Lauren struggled to get Nick off of her, but she heard him speak in a gentle whisper.

"Why?" Lauren glanced at him. She was shocked to see that gentle look on his face that she had always seen in him. His eyes were so warm, yet so sad.

"What?"

"Why couldn't it have worked with us?" Lauren pondered on whether or not she should answer him. She knew that he was an evil person that had killed almost all of her loved ones. But she also knew that he wasn't always like that. He used to be a good person, and it was that part of him that was speaking to her now.

"Because I didn't want it to end badly and ruin our relationship. I loved you too much." Nick weakly nodded.

"I'm sorry." They looked into each other's eyes. Lauren could tell what Nick planned to do next. She decided to let him die in peace. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. She responded equally, yet briefly. He pulled away and gently stroked Lauren's face with a gloved hand. Then, he slowly collapsed on top of her. As his head rested on Lauren's chest, she felt him take a final breath. Nick was dead.

Jake looked up and saw Nick's lifeless body lying on top of Lauren, who was crying. He walked over to her and lifted Nick. Lauren instantly scrambled to her feet. Ana embraced her sister, stroking her hair. Mrs. Parker went up to Lauren and wrapped her arms around her.

"Lauren, I'm so sorry. If I had known-"

"No, it wasn't your fault. I'm sorry." The group left the room, except for Emily. When she had searched the party room, she found the discarded ghost mask. She still had it. She took it out of her coat pocket and kneeled over Nick's body. He was lying on his back, his eyes closed, and with a somewhat peaceful look on his face. Emily lifted his head and fitted the mask over his face. Then, she stood up and went to find her friends.

_**THE END**_

_**People, do you think I should write a sequel? Review and let me know!**_


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